Greenwich edges Ridgefield to keep perfect record intact

Jon Chik

Updated 10:57 pm, Tuesday, January 14, 2014

RIDGEFIELD -- For even the most casual fan who may have strolled through the Ridgefield High School gymnasium doors with no prior knowledge of the combined 11-1 record of Ridgefield and Greenwich, it probably wouldn't have taken long to figure out that these were two of the FCIAC's true heavyweights.

From the opening tip, every possession felt enormous, and this was only further emphasized when the game unfolded as a relatively low-scoring affair.

In the end, a monster night by Greenwich's Alex Wolf, who netted a game-high 20 points, 18 rebounds and a dozen blocks, proved just a bit too much for the Tigers to handle, as the Cardinals remained perfect with a 49-45 victory.

"I thought the first half we were struggling, the team was getting frustrated having a lot of turnovers. We weren't rebounding the ball well and getting back on D," Wolf said. "The second half we really got it together and played team basketball."

The fourth quarter unfolded much like the preceding three save for one key difference, according to Greenwich (7-0, 5-0 FCIAC) coach Bill Brehm.

"Hats off to Ridgefield; they're a very tough team. Griff made a big 3 in the corner over there, Wolf did it on the defensive end and Johnny Palmer locked down Brennan," said Brehm. "I thought they outhustled us for three quarters. I really did, and I told them that in the huddle going into the fourth. I said maybe they can outhustle them for one quarter and win the game, and we did it."

Midway through the final frame, Greenwich's Griffin Golden drilled a 3-pointer to turn a 43-41 deficit into a 44-43 lead, continuing a run in which the Cardinals would score 10 consecutive points to claim a 49-43 advantage, tied for its largest lead of the night.

"That was huge," said Wolf. "I felt like that shot there set the tone for the fourth quarter for us to go up and have the lead for the rest of the game. After that, the whole momentum of the game changed."

The Cardinals didn't enjoy a lead for the entire second quarter, and didn't pull ahead in the second half until just eight seconds remained in the third, claiming a one-point advantage when CJ Byrd sank a layup while being fouled and made the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play.

After the lead-changing 3-ball by Golden, Greenwich needed to hit some free throws, and though they weren't lights out, going 5-for-9 down the stretch was enough to seal the win.

Ridgefield's Patrick Racy, who notched a team-high 15 points, scored his squad's first six points of the fourth quarter, including a pair of tough jumpers, but the final of those three buckets also represented the last time Ridgefield would enjoy the lead.

"We need to play with a little bit more poise in certain situations," said Ridgefield coach Andrew McClellan. "I thought we didn't make great decisions at times, and that's one of those things that as a young ball club, we just need to get more and more used to. Greenwich is a good team, a really physical team, and they knocked us out of our offense on several occasions."

Although his team lost, McClellan believes there were plenty of lessons for his young Tigers to learn.

"We can learn from this and we can be better. We're going to be fine, but we just have to get better," said McClellan. "We work every single day to get better; that's kind of what our motto is. We'll make this better, but it's a tough pill to swallow."